


goodnight  noises everywhere

by sleeponrooftops



Series: raising webhead: a parenting guide, attempted by the science boyfriends [10]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-25
Updated: 2013-05-25
Packaged: 2017-12-12 22:05:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/816563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeponrooftops/pseuds/sleeponrooftops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peter defines the word petulant, but, then again, look who his role models are.</p>
            </blockquote>





	goodnight  noises everywhere

“But, daddy!” Peter whines, looking up at him with wide eyes and a wobbly lip.

 

“You don’t have a fever anymore, and you’ve felt okay all day, it’s time to go back to your own bed.”

 

“But, _daddy_!”

 

“Peter,” Tony says sternly, coming out from the bathroom, “You have to sleep in your own bed.  C’mon, time for your bath.”

 

“I don’t want a bath!” Peter yells, stomping his foot on the ground, “I want to sleep in _your_ bed!”

 

“Peter,” Bruce sighs, kneeling before him, “You have to be a big boy, okay?  Go take your bath, and then we’ll get you tucked in.”

 

“I’m not taking a bath,” Peter says defiantly, folding his arms across his chest, “You can’t make me.”

 

“Tony, shut up,” Bruce says even as Tony opens his mouth, “Peter.  Go take your bath.”

 

“No!”

 

“You can’t have a bedtime story, then.”

 

“You have to read me a bedtime story, you promised!”

 

“Then go take your bath.”

 

“I don’t _want_ to!  I don’t like baths!”

 

“Peter, if you don’t take your bath and sleep in your own bed, then I guess we can’t go to the playground tomorrow,” Tony sighs, leaning against the doorway, “Only big boys get to go to the playground.”

 

Peter looks at Tony in absolute horror before he glares at him and stomps over, slipping past him into the bathroom.  Tony grins when he starts mumbling about how mean they are to him, and Bruce comes over, sighing.  “Good job, dad,” he says to Tony, stepping close so that Tony winds his arms around him and pulls him against him.  “Ollie can’t go in the bath with you, Peter,” he continues, and Tony just laughs, tucking his face in Bruce’s neck, kissing the skin there lightly.  Bruce leans his head against Tony’s, closing his eyes.

 

“I love you,” Tony whispers, and Bruce smiles, kissing his ear.

 

“I love you, too.”  He steps out of his arms and asks, “Do you want bath duty and I’ll get everything else ready?”

 

“Sure,” Tony says before kissing him lightly on the mouth and then going over to where Peter is sitting with his arms crossed in the water, pouting.  “Oh, stop it,” Tony laughs at him, sitting on the edge of the tub and reaching for the shampoo, “Dunk under.”

 

Bath time goes relatively quickly, and Peter’s in a mildly better mood when Tony plucks him out, wrapping him in a towel and tickling him.  He giggles, trying to squirm away, but Tony just wraps him tight and kisses him on the forehead.  “What’re you gonna do now?” he exclaims, squeezing him in a hug.

 

“Dad!” Peter giggles, shrinking into his towel.

 

Tony just smiles and sets him down, rubbing him dry before taking the clothes Bruce brought in and dressing him.  “Brush your teeth,” he says, herding Peter toward the sink so he can climb up onto his stool.

 

Peter hums while he’s brushing his teeth, and Tony goes back into his room to find his bed all made, one corner pulled back, and Bruce at his bookshelf, choosing.  “ _Goodnight Moon_?” he asks aloud.

 

“Do you honestly think I know what that means?” Tony asks in return, and Bruce turns with a thin book in his hand.

 

“It’s a children’s book, Tony.”

 

“I never got bedtime stories when I was little.  Hey,” he adds when Peter starts to climb down from his stool, “That was definitely not long enough.”

 

“ _Dad_.”

 

“Do you want your teeth to fall out?”  Peter sticks his tongue out but gets back up and goes back to brushing his teeth.  When he’s done, he starts tiptoeing past the toilet, but Tony sticks a foot in the doorway and says, “Not a chance, little man.  Potty before bed.”

 

“I don’t have to pee!”

 

“I don’t believe you.”

 

Peter whines loudly and goes back toward the toilet, and Bruce looks over, an eyebrow quirked.  “You’re getting good at this,” he says, and Tony shrugs.

 

“An ongoing process, my domestication, or so I heard.”  Bruce just smiles.

 

When they’ve finally got Peter all ready for bed, Bruce tucks him in and then sits on the edge of the bed, Tony at the end.  Tony settles a hand on Peter’s foot, giving it a little squeeze that makes Peter giggle quietly before Bruce starts reading.  By the time he’s nearing the end, Peter’s fighting to keep his eyes open, and then it’s only a matter of seconds before he’s out, and Bruce finishes up, closing the book and smiling down at him.  He gives him a kiss before getting up to put the book away, and Tony scoots off the bed, leaning down to say goodnight to Peter, as well, before they’re heading off into their own room.

 

It’s just past midnight when their door creaks open, Ollie lands between them, and Peter starts calling for Tony.  “Peter,” Tony sighs, rolling over and handing down Ollie, “Go back to bed.”

 

“I want to sleep with you,” Peter whispers, winding up and throwing Ollie again.  Tony catches the elephant and hands him back down before pushing up, kicking the blankets away.  He scoops Peter up before he can throw Ollie again and carries him out of the room, walking quickly as Peter starts whining.

 

“Stop it,” he says when they get into the hallway, “You’re going to wake up daddy.  You need to sleep in your own bed, Peter.”

 

“But it isn’t _fair_!  You and daddy get to sleep in the same bed!”

 

“That’s because we love each other very much, Peter, and we’re adults.”

 

“I love you both very much, too, though!”

 

“Peter,” Tony says, setting him back down in bed, “Please.  Stay in here.”

 

“No!” Peter shouts, kicking at Tony until he can squirm away and slide back down to the floor.  He runs past Tony, who sighs and turns, catching him around the middle and lifting him into the air.  He reaches up and drops him into the hammock, and Peter settles, glaring at him.

 

“Listen,” Tony says, holding Peter’s gaze, “You have to sleep in your own bed.  If you don’t, we’re not going to the playground and you don’t get to play in the lab.”

 

“You’re mean!”

 

“Yeah, well.  I’m also your dad, so get used to it.”  Peter’s lower lip juts out, shaking, but Tony just keeps looking at him, so Peter huffs and crosses his arms.

 

“It’s not fair,” he mumbles.

 

Tony sighs, reaching up a hand to scrub over his face before he takes Peter out of the hammock and sits down on the bed with him, holding him in his lap.  “I know it’s not,” he says softly, rubbing his back, “But you want to be a brave spider, right?”

 

“Yeah,” Peter mumbles, looking down.

 

“Well, brave spiders sleep in their own beds.  That’s how they get their superpowers, by being big boys.”

 

“I have superpowers?” he asks, looking up again with wide, hopeful eyes.

 

“Of course you do!”

 

“Spiderman!”

 

“What?”

 

“That’s my name.  Cos you’re Iron Man and daddy’s Hulk and Uncle Steve is Captain America and Uncle Logan is Wolverine and Uncle Thor is—Thor.”

 

Tony laughs, leaning down to kiss his mop of hair.  “Alright, Spiderman, time for bed.”

 

“My own bed,” Peter mumbles, and Tony nods.

 

“Your own bed.  All night,” he adds before Peter can negotiate, and Peter just nods and clambers off his lap, crawling over to his pillow with Ollie.

 

Tony tucks him in again, kisses him on the forehead, and starts to leave when Peter says, “Dad.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you.  Goodnight.”

 

“I love you, too, Peter.”


End file.
